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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Mechanicsburg (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Mechanicsburg. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Mechanicsburg is located in Cumberland County.

To see how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cumberland County: Adams, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry & York.

Below are the counties that are near Mechanicsburg. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mechanicsburg:

  • Cumberland County     (The home county of Mechanicsburg)
  • Adams County
  • Allegheny County
    • Bloomfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield is located in Allegheny County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,255 people
  • Dauphin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsburg, with the one closest to Mechanicsburg listed first.
    • Harrisburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Hillside Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillside Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Village
      • Hillside Village is located in Dauphin County
    • Paxtang
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Paxtang. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxtang
      • Paxtang is located in Dauphin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Paxtang
      • From Mechanicsburg to Paxtang
    • Steelton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Edgemont
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Penbrook
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Penbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penbrook
      • Penbrook is located in Dauphin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,976 people
    • Fort Hunter
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Progress
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Progress have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
      • Progress is located in Dauphin County
    • Highspire
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Lawnton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawnton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawnton
      • Lawnton is located in Dauphin County
    • Dauphin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Bloomburg Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomburg Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomburg Village
      • Bloomburg Village is located in Dauphin County
    • Colonial Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Park
      • Colonial Park is located in Dauphin County
  • Juniata County
  • Lancaster County
  • Lebanon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsburg, with the one closest to Mechanicsburg listed first.
    • Campbelltown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Palmyra
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmyra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
      • Palmyra is located in Lebanon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,528 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palmyra <3>
    • Lawn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Syner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Syner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syner
      • Syner is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Syner
      • From Mechanicsburg to Syner
    • Colebrook
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Annville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Annville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annville
      • Annville is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Annville <3>
    • Fontana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fontana. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana
      • Fontana is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fontana
      • From Mechanicsburg to Fontana
    • Mount Gretna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Gretna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gretna
      • Mount Gretna is located in Lebanon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Gretna <3>
    • Timber Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timber Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Hills
      • Timber Hills is located in Lebanon County
    • Fort Indiantown Gap
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Mount Gretna Heights
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Gretna Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gretna Heights
      • Mount Gretna Heights is located in Lebanon County
    • Cleona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Green Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Northumberland County
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsburg, with the one closest to Mechanicsburg listed first.
    • Cove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Cove is located in Perry County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cove
      • From Mechanicsburg to Cove
    • Marysville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marysville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysville
      • Marysville is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,553 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marysville <3>
    • Perdix
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Duncannon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duncannon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncannon
      • Duncannon is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,481 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duncannon <3>
    • Rose Glen
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Mecks Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • New Buffalo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Buffalo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Buffalo
      • New Buffalo is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Alinda
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Blain
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blain
      • Blain is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blain <3>
    • Bailey
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Landisburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Newport
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Elliottsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsburg, with the one closest to Mechanicsburg listed first.
    • Andersontown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Siddonsburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Rudytown ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rudytown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudytown
      • Rudytown is located in York County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rudytown
      • From Mechanicsburg to Rudytown
    • Dillsburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillsburg
      • Dillsburg is located in York County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,579 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dillsburg <3>
    • Nauvoo
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Lewisberry
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Marsh Run
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Mount Top
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Uniontown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uniontown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
      • Uniontown is located in York County
    • Alpine
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alpine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in York County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Alpine
      • From Mechanicsburg to Alpine
    • Erney
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Franklintown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklintown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklintown
      • Franklintown is located in York County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • Quaker Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quaker Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Village
      • Quaker Village is located in York County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mechanicsburg, see our County-by-County Page for Mechanicsburg.

Cemeteries Near Mechanicsburg ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mechanicsburg.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mechanicsburg covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mechanicsburg, with the one closest to Mechanicsburg listed first.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Mechanicsburg had a population of 3,691 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Mechanicsburg had a population of 9,017 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Mechanicsburg, with the one closest to Mechanicsburg listed first.

  • Trindle Springs
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Dillsburg Junction
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillsburg Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillsburg Junction
    • Dillsburg Junction is located in Cumberland County
  • Shiremanstown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shiremanstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiremanstown
    • Shiremanstown is located in Cumberland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,641 people
  • Hogestown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hogestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hogestown
    • Hogestown is located in Cumberland County
  • Bowmansdale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowmansdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmansdale
    • Bowmansdale is located in Cumberland County
  • Nantilly
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nantilly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nantilly
    • Nantilly is located in Cumberland County
  • Rossmoyne
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossmoyne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossmoyne
    • Rossmoyne is located in Cumberland County
  • Williams Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williams Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Grove
    • Williams Grove is located in Cumberland County
  • White Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hill
    • White Hill is located in Cumberland County
  • Good Hope
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • New Kingstown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Brandtsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brandtsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandtsville
    • Brandtsville is located in Cumberland County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Siddonsburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Wertzville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wertzville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wertzville
      • Wertzville is located in Cumberland County
    • Andersontown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mechanicsburg. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mechanicsburg.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Mechanicsburg ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 105 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mechanicsburg.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Mechanicsburg. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Mechanicsburg and those printed in the larger area surrounding Mechanicsburg.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<6> of Mechanicsburg.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Mechanicsburg:

The official website for Mechanicsburg: www.mechanicsburgborough.org/

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Mechanicsburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Mechanicsburg) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mechanicsburg. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.2133, Longitude: -77.0080    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025